At Home With The Ghosts

Do you believe in ghosts? The Midwest Paranormal Conference,
taking place at Ogden's notoriously haunted Union
Station on August 16th, may answer this and other
questions such as "where could you go when
you pass on?" The science of discovering
spirits, ghosts or the paranormal is
actively becoming exact and precise
in its methods. Although paranormal
research is not funded by
universities or backed by deep pocketed
corporations, it's
taking place all over the
globe. Ghost hunters are
out gathering evidence,
developing and testing
theories, using money
from their own pockets
and spending countless
nights in dark and
mysterious places.
Then they closely
examine their evidence,
which takes more time
than that actually spent
gathering it.

Utah is home to a
large community of
investigators who are
uniting to share their
evidence and ideas. This
collaboration is an idea
that Tom Carr, chair of the
conference, is hoping will catch
on. Carr, who has investigated the
paranormal for over 20 years, is also
the founder of Wasatch Paranormal,
an investigating team that focuses
on teaching the science of paranormal
investigation to others. Carr co-founded www.
ParanormalUSA.org, a forum where investigators in the
US and elsewhere can come to share information and swap
theories or ideas. The site is also one of the main sponsors of the
conference. Carr also hosts an Internet radio show/podcast with Russ Larsen of
Paranormal Utah, called Residual Hauntings Live.

The word paranormal literally means beyond normal or beyond the usual. There
are many different methods to capture scientific evidence of ghosts and other
paranormal activity. One of the most common types of evidence captured is the
EVP (electronic voice phenomenon), when an audio recorder captures a voice
that isn't heard until review of the audio. The other forms of scientific evidence
are thermal photographs and video, which can pick up hot or cold signatures
that cannot be see by the naked eye. These types of evidence are a bit harder to
capture, but the results can be astounding. It's impressive to catch an entity on
film because you can analyze and repeatedly view the ghostly apparitions.

Carr says that there are three classes of people who are
interested in the paranormal: "There are the thrill
seekers, who typically wind up screaming and
running the other way when they encounter
something. A ghost hunter will go and
experience something but not study
it. A paranormal investigator, on
the other hand, goes in and says
"Wow, what was that?" and tries
to figure out every possible way
that could have happened
— a loud noise, a door
closing — then they try
to recreate it and figure
out logically how it could
happen. When they get
to the point when there
is no logical conclusion
we say, okay, that's
paranormal."

A more altruistic
motivation for
paranormal
investigating is also to
help people in need.
Carr's team and others
statewide provide free
services for people who
have strange activity in
their homes and are either
in distress as a result or are
just seeking answers. Carr
cites an example from a recent
investigation at a family home where
the children were distressed. He says
that Wasatch Paranormal works to teach
techniques to regain control of the space in
these situations.

Carr hopes to dispel rumors and stereotypes about the
paranormal. A common misconception about the paranormal
is that many people think all spirits are negative. Carr explains that most
activity isn't negative at all, and that the entities or spirits present are just trying to
find answers for themselves or the spirit trying to get attention.

Speaking on the history of paranormal studies, Carr says, "Thomas Edison tried
to invent a phone to talk to the dead. The Egyptians and the Native Americans
have all tried to talk to the dead. That's how long people have been investigating
the paranormal. I would say over the last five or six years, more evidence has
Tom Carr, founder of Wasatch Paranormal and chair of The first Midwest paranormal Conference
(17) SLUG
been gathered than in the hundreds of years people have been doing it in the
past."

Recent technological advances have resulted in sophisticated tools that can help
the investigation process. Common equipment used on investigations includes
tape and digital recorders, camcorders, night vision, infrared, thermal imaging
cameras and electromagnetic field detectors. The most intriguing type of these
detectors is the K2 meter, which has a set of lights and when a presence is
detected, you can ask yes or no questions and get a response by the blinking
of lights. The theory behind the electromagnetic field is that a spirit is made up
of pure energy, the higher the field, the more likely something paranormal is
going on — but are these tools, some of which are extremely expensive, really
necessary to be an investigator?

"For somebody starting out with investigating they don't need cameras, they
don't need recorders, the only thing you really need is the desire and the
willingness to accept something that is strange and abnormal," says Carr.

Although Carr often advises caution to newcomers, he is worried about the
sudden surge of ghost hunters with little to no experience, and is afraid the
novices could get hurt. Carr says, "I've done some negative investigations. I'm
really worried, that somebody is going to say 'I want to be a ghost hunter'... and
they're going to go in [a haunted house] and start provoking and trying to piss
an entity off and it's going to cause more issues."

Carr goes on to explain that the conference is set up to be a resource for people
not only already involved in investigating, but also for newcomers to find answers
and learn how to properly investigate.

The Midwest Paranormal Conference is the first of many paranormal conferences
to take place in Utah. Utah's paranormal investigators, and anyone interested in
learning more about Utah's ghostly inhabitants, will assemble in a building filled
with history and tragedy of its own. Along with the attendees, some interested
ghosts will surely be watching, listening and hopefully communicating with those
who seek them out.

According to Carr, Utah's paranormal community is one of the largest in the
nation, yet Carr says, "Most of the groups here in Utah are very closed-door––
they've had a lot of problems." He emphasizes that the conference is an
opportunity to expand communication within the Utah community and hopes it
will foster a new and more open attitude toward discussion of paranormal topics.

Carr realizes that the general public seems to be more interested in these topics
lately, thanks to television shows such as the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters
gaining popularity. "I think since Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson and Ghost
Hunters got started on TV, people have become more interested in ghosts. I
have always wanted to be in a group or a community that was more open, that
shared evidence. I honestly feel like that is our next step." Carr said. The groups
have a common goal: finding answers about the paranormal. Carr hopes that the
conference will let people open their minds to new ideas.

The conference will feature several speakers. Renowned author specializing
in the paranormal, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, will talk about "dark shadows," a
frequent paranormal occurrence that investigators encounter. Todd Sheets, cult
indie-horror movie director/producer who runs the Internet forum Nightwatchers,
will talk about bringing in unity among investigators. Serenity Moore, a Salt
Lake City-based psychic/medium, will likely arouse debate among investigators,
many of whom have strong beliefs that evidence gathered should be collected
by scientific means only.

To close out the conference, a drawing will be held––every ticket purchased
for the conference enters you in the drawing. The winners will be invited to go
on a ghost hunt that night at Union Station, lasting until the early hours of the
morning with all of the speakers and seasoned paranormal investigators from
the conference. There is also a package deal with which any individual who can
bring in 20 tickets will be guaranteed a spot on the hunt that night.

"I can almost bet the people that go to this conference will have some
paranormal experiences even during the day. I'm excited about it — we're going
to have about 450 people in the building pumping up the energy all day talking
about ghosts, getting the spirit up and then we're doing the hunt that night until
2-4 o'clock in the morning," Carr says, "I know we're going to catch and see
some amazing stuff."

Tickets for the Midwest Paranormal conference, Aug. 16th at Ogden's Union
Station, can be purchased online at www.midwestparacon.com for $30 a person.
Interested vendors can purchase a booth spot for $30 as well.